Serial entrepreneur Baruch Pletner has launched a Halifax start-up to produce sensors that can notify mining companies when machinery operating in remote locations needs maintenance.

Intelligent Dynamics Canada Ltd. is very much in its infancy, but its prospects are fascinating because of Pletner’s experience in smart materials, in nanotechnology and as an entrepreneur in the Boston area.

Pletner, who immigrated to Nova Scotia in 2010, believes he could have a prototype ready by this summer and says the final product will cost about $200.

“I really want this product to be high volume and reasonably priced so more companies can use it protecting their bottom line and the environment at the same time,” he said.

In 2003, Pletner founded Boston-based Iptrade Inc., which helped improve the manufacturing process in the semiconductor industry. Over six years, while working closely with Nikon Corp. of Japan, he built Iptrade into to a company with

$2 million in annual revenue.

He stepped back from the company two years ago, taking a job on the faculty of the Nova Scotia Community College in Shelburne.

Now Pletner, who holds several patents, is entering the entrepreneurial arena again. He wants to help mining companies, and others in resource extraction, monitor subtle changes in the vibrations produced by equipment operating in remote areas.

Attached to a machine, Pletner’s sensor would measure its vibrations across a very broad range of amplitudes and frequencies, including in nano-dimensions (a billionth of a metre).

The sensors can be programmed to learn a machine’s “normal” vibrations. The operator can set the sensor to sleep so it uses minimal power, but the sensor comes to life if it senses even the slightest change in the rumble of the machine, such as the amplitude of the vibrations.

It then sends a message, via a standard cellular or satellite phone, to the central office.

The change in vibrations could indicate the machine may need repairs or that it’s running with less than optimal fuel efficiency. Once notified, the staff can examine the machine to see if it needs maintenance before a major problem occurs.

Pletner said his “secret sauce” is the use of smart material in the sensor box. He embeds “a funky sort of ceramic called lead zirconium titanate” in the main circuit board. This material automatically produces an electrical current that is proportional to the vibrations it experiences when attached to a machine.

That means there are no worries about powering the sensors. They will be constantly monitoring the machinery as long as it’s running.

As well as working on his technology, Pletner is also engaged in the softer aspects of business development, working with Napkin Works of Halifax on the marketing plans for the product, brand colours, logos and the like. He said his experience as an entrepreneur has taught him that you have to pay attention to such details even in the early stages of a project.

Last week, Intelligent Dynamics was awarded a $50,000 grant from the National Research Council’s Industrial Design Assistance Program. The company, working with the Nova Scotia Community College, also received a provincial innovation and productivity voucher.

Pletner is working with Innovacorp and local and international investors. He hopes to land equity funding in the first quarter of 2013.